


Courage, right?

by ladymarauder85



Series: Bitter Sweet [7]
Category: CrissColfer - Fandom, Glee RPF
Genre: Angst, Coming Out, Family, M/M, alcohol use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-22
Updated: 2015-05-22
Packaged: 2018-03-31 18:00:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3987538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladymarauder85/pseuds/ladymarauder85
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darren is a drunken, demented starfish and Chuck is the best brother in the world.</p><p>Darren tells Chuck.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Courage, right?

**Author's Note:**

> Set directly before Steam.

Darren was face down on his brother’s kitchen floor, one hand clutching a beer and the other flung out. He looked like a drunk, demented starfish.

“Hollywood has turned you into even more of a drama queen than you already were,” Chuck said from his position atop his kitchen work surface. Darren mumbled incoherently into the floor. “You gonna tell me what’s up?”

Darren ignored him.

He came to the city to talk to his brother and get his advice. So far they’d got a couple of angsty songs down, got outrageously drunk, caught three shows, two gigs and Dianna had kissed him. He’d made out with people he worked with before, usually at a party after a few drinks, bit of a laugh, no big deal. But this was a girl he knew was into him and he was interested in one of their mutual, gay friends and it had the possibility of becoming very awkward.

 “Dianna kissed me.”

 “Really? Nice one, man. She’s pretty hot.”

 “Fuck off, Chuck.”

 Darren knew his brother was just humouring him and was waiting for him to say it. _It._ He knew Chuck was aware of his past sexually fluid experiences through his college friends’ teasing, but he’d never actually came out and said it and Chuck had never asked. He was pretty sure he knew about him and Chris though and that’s why he’d insisted Darren get out for a visit.

 He made a meal of rolling over onto his back.

 Darren’s stomach turned uncomfortably and not from the drink. He never had issues saying what he thought or how he felt, usually. He was often told his mouth had no filter and everything he said bypassed his brain. This was different. 

 “I’m a fucking Gryffindor, right?” He said after a minute. He turned his head to Chuck, eyebrows knotting together.

 “Er...right. Ok.”

“Yeah,” Darren said, like that explained everything that was going through his head. It wasn’t that big of a deal. Chuck already knew. 

Darren never really struggled with the fact that he occasionally slept with guys, there was no big moment or anything, because he honestly didn’t really think it was that big of a deal, but actually _telling_ his brother about it...Not only that, but it was more that he actually had feelings for a guy and wanted to be with him, which was a whole other issue.

“Sooo...are you going somewhere with this?” Chuck asked.

“Well...ugh,” Darren started, before a horrible, overwhelming guilty feeling flooded his stomach. He had to tell Chris that someone else had put their tongue in his mouth. “No, I just I feel like I should go home now,” Darren slurred. He attempted to sit up and Chuck jumped down and helped him to his feet. 

“You are going nowhere little brother, other than my couch for a kip.”

He towed Darren toward the sofa and pushed him onto it.

“Where’s my – ahhh ha!” Darren said with a flourish as he freed his phone from his jeans pocket. He amazingly remembered his passcode and flicked through his recently called numbers with a drunken squint, looking for the guy who was causing him to become a complete nutter. 

“No, not happening dude, gimme that,” Chuck said, tugging the phone from Darren’s fingers. ”Brother’s don’t let brothers drunk dial, no matter how much this brother wants to hear that fucking conversation.”

After a half-assed attempt at getting it back, Darren gave up and thankfully, from Chuck’s point of view, passed out.

 

The next afternoon, after Darren had spent a really bad morning alternating between throwing up and worrying that he’d told his brother in graphic detail exactly what gay sex was really like, they were wandering around Central Park. It took him a while before he realised he hadn’t actually got the words out in between getting smashed, an Imagine Dragons gig and blacking out.

“...so Uncle Hank keeps emailing hinting to crash at mine and I don’t know how long I can avoid-“

“What would you say if I told you I was gay?” Darren interrupted, quickly. “Or just seeing a guy? Because I am, seeing one I mean.”

Darren hadn’t meant to blurt it out, especially halfway through a conversation about their Aunt and Uncle’s recent divorce, but there it was. He stopped, pretty sure he was gonna throw up again. Before he could decide, Chuck yanked him into a hug so hard that they both lost their balance and hit the floor in a tangle of limbs and curses.

“Ow, fuck!” The older boy cried. “There goes my kidney. You weigh a fucking ton!”

“Ahh,” Darren wheezed trying to breathe after Chuck’s knee made contact with his stomach, not doing anything for his tender, hungover belly. “Jesus, Chuck.”

The minute it took Darren’s vision to return to normal, control his breathing and ensure his gag reflex was going to behave its self, he peeked at his brother. Chuck was lying on the grass rubbing his side and trying desperately to avoid looking at a group of kids who were laughing at them.

“You’re paying my medical fees if I’ve ruptured anything.”

“Now who’s the fucking drama queen?” Darren said, throwing a handful of grass in his brother’s direction. He waited for Chuck to stop moaning and groaning before he carried on.“So...?”

“So?” Chuck replied with a little laugh, meeting his eyes. “You’re good, Darren.”

Darren in that moment didn’t know whether to burst into tears or to wrestle his brother into another hug, but he settled with a grateful smile instead.

“Thanks.”

“Chris?” Darren nodded. _Did the whole fucking world know_? “You gonna tell mom and dad?”

Darren blanched a little. “I –“

“I’ll come with you.”

In that moment, Darren knew he had a better brother than anyone else on the planet.

“I Love you, man.”

“Love you too, little brother.”

**Author's Note:**

> So I didn’t really want a massive, heartfelt gushing coming out scene, because I honestly don’t see it happening. But I wanted to show Darren struggling a little bit but not with accepting the fact he likes guys, more just a little nervous about telling his family. It’s not exactly a casual thing, is it?


End file.
